Newsletter Articles

Tuesday, October 711:30 AM – 1:30 PMThe Chicago Club | The Daniel Burnham Room | 81 E Van Buren St, Chicago, IL 60605 Join us for an exclusive panel discussion exploring how venture capital and private equity firms are actively using AI to transform their own operations, investment strategies, and portfolio company performance. This session…

October 1, 2025 The IVCA, along with sponsor Ropes & Gray and Baker Tilly, will be hosting the panel event, “Leveraging AI to Transform VC & PE Firms” on October 7th, 2025, moderated by Martin Ruhaak, Partner at Ropes & Gray. The event will feature real-world use cases and candid insights from investors who are…

Celebrate excellence in Illinois’s private equity and venture capital community by nominating a candidate or company for one of IVCA’s annual awards: Nomination Deadline: September 30, 2025Submit completed forms to Kathy Pyne at kpyne@illinoisvc.orgAwards will be presented at the IVCA Awards Dinner on Monday, December 8, 2025 Download All Nomination Forms

Tuesday, October 711:30 AM – 1:30 PMThe Chicago Club | The Daniel Burnham Room | 81 E Van Buren St, Chicago, IL 60605 Join us for an exclusive panel discussion exploring how venture capital and private equity firms are actively using AI to transform their own operations, investment strategies, and portfolio company performance. This session…

September 17, 2025 On September 9th at the Union League Club of Chicago, the IVCA and sponsor firm KPMG presented the “Private Equity Policy Lunch: A Fireside Chat with the American Investment Council (AIC),” moderated by Lee M. Mitchell, Managing Director/Partner at Thoma Bravo, and a board member of both the IVCA and the AIC.…

Illinois Venture Capital Association Illinois Legislative ReportDavid Stricklin / Stricklin & Associates Wednesday, September 17, 2025 IVCA ALLY ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT One of the most effective legislators in Springfield and a strong ally of the IVCA announced he will not run again in 2026. Illinois State Senator Bill Cunningham, who is the Senate President Pro Tem…

Petri, An Experienced CFO, Will Lead PPC’s Finance and Accounting Functions CHICAGO -(September 15, 2025) – Pritzker Private Capital (“PPC”), a leader in family direct investing, today announced that Andrew Petri has joined the firm as Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Petri brings to PPC more than two decades of experience in investment firm finance, accounting and…

Tuesday, September 9, 2025 | 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM CTUnion League Club of Chicago | 65 W Jackson Blvd REGISTER HERE! Join IVCA and event sponsor KPMG for a timely member lunch featuring leaders from the American Investment Council (AIC) — the national advocacy organization for private equity. AIC works to protect the industry’s interests…

MONROE, OHIO – September 2, 2025 – Valicor Environmental Services (“Valicor”), one of the largest providers of centralized waste treatment and recycling services in North America, today announced it has acquired ECO-FIRST, Inc. (“ECO-FIRST”), a provider of environmental and waste management services in West Virginia. With this acquisition, Valicor bolsters its footprint in the mid-Atlantic…

August 13, 2025 – Prairie Capital is pleased to welcome Cara Conniff and Brett Winkel to the investment team as Associates. Cara and Brett will be involved across all phases of Prairie’s investment process, from analyzing new opportunities and conducting due diligence to assisting in the ongoing management of the firm’s portfolio companies. Prior to…